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Thursday, January 3, 2019

When Google announced the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL we learned all of the carrier bands they would support. Nowhere in the launch documents of FCC specs did it mention support for LTE Band 48, an FCC addendum made public today shows that the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL will support LTE Band 48 via a software update.The model listed in the FCC addendum specifically stated this update will be pushed to the G013A variant, which is the international version of the Google Pixel 3. This is the version that is sold everywhere outside of Japan, so this includes the majority of the devices sold around the world. LTE Band 48 isn’t well known but it was also known as the CBRS Band.Current Pixel 3 bands:FDD-LTE: Bands⁷ 1*/2*/3*/4*/5/7*/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25*/26/28/29/32/66*/71TD-LTE: Bands 38*/39/40/41*/42/46Overall support of up to CAT 16 (1Gbps DL / 75Mbps UL), 5x DL CA, 4×4 MIMO, LAA, 256-QAM DL, and 64-QAM ULLTE Band 48 is 150 MHz of 3.5 GHz shared spectrum which has historically been used by the U.S. government for radar systems. Their announcement back in 2017 was big news as it was the first use of CBRS band 48 spectrum in an LTE Advanced carrier aggregation demonstration. Federated Wireless has said they are providing its Spectrum Access System “to dynamically prioritize traffic” within the FCC’s spectrum sharing framework. Carriers in the United States have gone on record saying they consider the 3.5 GHz spectrum as a core band for 5G deployment around the world.It’s unclear when this software update will be pushed to the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL, we will update you once additional information has been made available.Source: FCC

Essential Products confirmed that its first mobile device the Essential Phone, is no longer available. "We are sold out of Essential Phone on essential.com and won’t be adding any new inventory," said Essential in a statement provided to Droid-Life. "We are now hard at work on our next mobile product and will continue to sell accessories and provide speedy software updates and customer support to our existing community." The Essential Phone went on sale in the summer months of 2017. The high end Android device failed to resonate with consumers. In recent months the phone has been offered at a deep discount across the web and various sellers. Essential had a tough year... Executive Andy Rubin was forced to step aside for a short time after he was said to have received a $90 million severance package from Google despite claims of sexual harassment made against him. Rubin later rejoined Essential, but the company shifted gears and laid off staff amid the changes. Essential has not elaborated on what its "next mobile product" will be.Source: Essential

Thursday, December 13, 2018

The FCC today took measures that will lead to an auction for 5G spectrum in 2019. The agency adopted new rules to make a total of 3,400 MHz of mmWave spectrum available in the 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands. All three bands will be broken into 100 MHz blocks and licensed by partial economic areas. The auction will be an incentive auction for contiguous blocks of spectrum. Incentives will be given to those entities that choose to relinquish their spectrum holdings and make new licenses available. There will be two phases to the auction, a “clock phase” wherein bidders can bid on generic license blocks and an “assignment phase” in which clock phase winners can bid on specific frequencies.The FCC didn’t go as far as setting a date for the auction, but it often targets the November timeframe. Source: FCC

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Google has sent out invitations for its next hardware event, which will take place in New York on October 9 at 11:00 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT.If you’ve been following the headlines rumors state we could see a refreshed Google Pixelbook, new Pixel Buds, and possibly even Google’s own Smart Display.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Google announced that Google Voice would be rolled in to G Suite and showed off a redesigned app during Google I/O. The new Google Voice is now rolling out to iOS devices.“Calls” is now the first tab in the bottom bar. Followed by a new “Contacts” section that provides dedicated access to your address book, “Messages” is now the third tab with, “Voicemail” still at the very right. There is a quick shortcut for adding new contacts at the top of the list, with the addition of edit existing contacts. The Contacts and Calendar based DND is limited to enterprise G Suite accounts. Regular and free Google accounts will continue to see Messages as the first tab followed by Calls and Voicemail. Keypad is the fourth tab, while the Calendar integration does not appear in Settings for non G Suite users.Version 18.33 is rolling out now to iOS. Meanwhile, Android users can expect the Google Play Store update likely to hit soon.Source: Apple App Store

Monday, August 13, 2018

Apple made a new beta of iOS 12 available to its Developer community. iOS 12 Developer beta 7 was released today to registered developers. Apple didn't spill the beans on specific changes in this build other than bug fixes and improvements. iOS 12 Developer beta 7 includes a number of new features, such as improved notifications, memoji for the iPhone X, performance refinements, Screen Time for monitoring usage, and better security. Apple has however, pulled the Group FaceTime feature according to a report from The Verge. "Group FaceTime has been removed from the initial release of iOS 12," said Apple in a message to developers. Instead, Group FaceTime "will ship in a future software update later this fall." The final version of iOS 12 won't arrive until September or October. A new public beta is expected to arrive later this week.Apple has taken notice, pulling the OTA update from its servers. Developers still have access to the IPSW file, which is available for download and manual installation via Apple's Developer website. We’ll stay tuned for a new build of the iOS 12 Developer beta 7 release to become available for over the air.Update: Apple has also removed the update from the Apple Developer Center. Source: The Verge

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Google is set to announce the upcoming Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL in the coming months, today we got a major leak. The leak shows the phone, retail box, Pixel Buds like USB-C headphones, and charger.

The leak comes from a Russian Telegram channel, the photo shows the white variant of the Google Pixel 3 XL. Compared to the first two Pixel devices, the separation of the glass on the phone’s rear is almost invisible. Google's single camera lens is still a go, just like the existing Google Pixel and Google Pixel 2 devices including the fingerprint reader and Google logo at the bottom.

The leaked photos and video shows the phone fully booted with a shot of the settings revealing the “Google Pixel 3 XL” model name and even the device’s serial number (not a good move leaker... lol). The “Hardware version” in settings is listed as “DVT1.0.” which stands for Design Validation Test and is usually a revision prior to final production.

The leaked device looks to be running Android 9 Pie, the device has successfully gone through the initial Pixel Setup process. Gesture navigation is on, and said to be enabled by default on the Google Pixel 3 devices. A hardware specifications app confirms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 1440 x 2960 display with a 494 PPI. The SIM card slot is located at the bottom left of the phone next to the USB-C port. Including in the box are Pixel Bud style headphones with the same rounded bud design and adjustable ear inserts as the current Google Pixel Buds, and have ditched Bluetooth in favor of a USB-C port.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Google has revealed that Android 9 will be called Pie and made Android 9 available to its Pixel branded phones. Android Pie makes use of artificial intelligence to anticipate user actions. For example, it includes adaptive battery and adaptive brightness. Together, this will adjust the settings throughout the day to reduce power drain while making sure users have access to the phone’s full power. App Actions predict what users are likely to do next based on their context and displays that action on the phone. Android Pie introduces new navigational gestures that rely on swiping and flicking a small pill that appears at the bottom of the screen. The smart text selection tool now transports text more easily between apps, while the tweaked Quick Settings bar offers a better way to take and edit screenshots. The new dashboard is meant to help you use the phone less. Which includes an app timer, wind down, and an improved do not disturb mode to make sure people spend time away from their phone without interruptions. These well being tools are only available in beta, and currently requires a beta invite from Google (Digital Wellbeing beta link). The new Android 9 OS also includes a number of security improvements, such as a more secure way to handle biometrics. Google is distributing Android 9 Pie to Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Google Pixel 2, and Google Pixel 2 XL devices via an over the air download. Android 9 will also reach select phones from Sony, Xiaomi, HMD Global, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and Essential (Essential PH-1 Android 9 release), as well as all qualifying Android One devices later this fall.Source: Google